Sooraya Qadir
| Sooraya Qadir | |
|---|---|
 Portrayed by Taraneh Alidoosti | |
| Codename: | Dust |
| Affiliations: | Elpis; Red X |
| Birthdate: | 26 July, 1992 (adopted birthday) |
| Journal: | x_dust |
| Player: | Eva |
Brought to the school after being rescued from slavery, Sooraya's eyes have been opened to a world of possibilities. She attended the Attilan school for a while, before circumstances made her decide to return to the United States.
Contents
Details
Character Journal: x_dust
Real Name: Sooraya Qadir
Codename: n/a
Aliases: n/a
First Appearance: July 26, 2007
Date of Birth: 26 July, 1992 (adopted birthday)
Place of Birth: Afghanistan
Citizenship: Afghani
Relatives: Mirah Qadir (mother)
Education: Student at Xavier's
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: Student, former Elpis volunteer
Team Affiliation: none
Biography
Childhood
Sooraya grew up in a nomadic Afghani clan, her small family part of the group along with several other families of varying sizes. She was an only child, though there were a few other children near her age as she was growing up. The clan traveled using camels and horses over the Afghani plains and mountains, never staying in one place for long.
When Sooraya was eight her father was killed during a dangerous mountain crossing. His normally surefooted horse slipped while crossing a ridge and threw its rider onto the jagged rocks below. Though she was now a single woman, Sooraya's mother Mirah was still welcome in the group, and they continued to travel, finding the best places possible to graze their goats and sheep.
As Sooraya grew older, the threat of rebel groups and slave traders grew more and more intense. The clan managed to avoid the worst of the raids, though every year found them losing a few animals to the raiders. Then, when Sooraya was fourteen, a particularly vicious group of traders raided their camp, taking only the young, able-bodied girls and boys and leaving the older nomads behind. One by one they sold off the children, though they kept Sooraya to tend their camp and prepare their food. Because of her nomadic lifestyle and the less-than-organized ways of the traders, Sooraya had never directly come into contact with either the Taliban or the new government and its laws. She is aware of them, of course, but since so much of her time was spent away from the cities, she had very little firsthand experience with them.
Living At The X-Mansion
Sooraya's captivity lasted a number of years, ending when she was 'bought' by Nathan Dayspring, in Afghanistan on an Elpis fact-finding trip investigating mutant child slavery. Bewildered and a little intimidated by the tall American, Sooraya found trouble followed where Nathan went as she and Rahne Sinclair were abducted by the men who had previously owned her. The girls were recovered, and Sooraya was offered the chance to go to America with them, to learn to use her strange new powers at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Unable to find her family, Sooraya eventually agreed.
The school was a very strange place for her. Due to the language barrier and cultural differences, Sooraya was shy and diffident around most of the residents. Nathan was a main source of support and she began volunteering for Elpis, and gradually she began to assimilate, befriending her roommate Angelica Jones and finding common ground with fellow new student (and former 'purchase' of a mansion resident), Yvette Petrovic. She also formed an unlikely friendship with Tommy Jones, drawing him out in her own quiet way.
The school wasn't always the most peaceful place to be. A field trip attacked by dinosaurs and the hijacking of the bus run ruffled her calm, but during the hijack especially she was able to overcome her fears and use her powers in creative ways to help her friends. Nathan and the rest of Elpis continued their search for her family during this time, but to no avail. Then in September 2007, whilst assisting Garrison Kane investigate the killing of Canadian aid workers in Afghanistan, the completely unexpected happened, with Sooraya being reunited with her mother and aunt at the refugee camp. It was an emotional scene, with Sooraya's mother insisting her daughter return to America to take advantage of the opportunities offered to her.
Back to the West
Returning to the school, Sooraya continued much as she always had done - attending classes, working for Elpis, feeding those who need it. A trip to Canada and the subsequent aid she provided as part of an avalanche response opened possible new doors for her in the form of Red X. At the end of the school year, she returned home to her family, fully intending to return for the new school year in September 2008. It proved to be a considerably longer break, with Sooraya remaining with her family for a year, before returning to Xavier's in October 2009.
Much had changed during her time away and she found it difficult to settle back into things. Following a the mission in India, Sooraya made the decision to go to Attilan to continue her schooling and powers training in a new environment and widen her personal horizons.
[burqini]
Physical Characteristics
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 115 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Other Features: Sooraya is a practicing Muslim and covers herself, either in traditional Afghani clothing, often a salwar kameez, or modified Western clothing, usually a long skirt and loose shirt. She wears a head scarf in differing styles.
Powers
Sooraya's mutation is the ability to turn her body into a cloud of sand and control the direction/velocity of this cloud, as well as reforming at will. Since coming to Xavier’s for the first time, she has gained a great deal of control over the her powers. She is capable of transforming at will and controlling where she goes and at which speed. An attack in Attilan showed her how she can harm other people, but she is extremely hesitant about doing this.
Her sand form can be stopped by being doused with water. Dousing her with water would not hurt her, just ground her till she is dry again or resumes human shape. She can also be defeated if the air she travels through is manipulated. Her sand form is also vulnerable to extremes of heat, causing it to crystallize into glass. This could potentially kill her. If it is only splinters of glass they would not properly reform and could hurt her body on the inside or the outside on reforming since they stay this way. Like many metamorphs, she reverts back to her human form if exhausted or knocked unconscious.
Another noteworthy aspect of her mutation is that it only affects Sooraya herself – not the clothes she is wearing or anything else she is touching. She is 'naked' for the time she spends in sand-form, and must reform herself in her clothes to reappear clothed.
Equipment
None
Trivia
Sooraya's control over her sand form is akin to a form of telekinesis, and her control has improved to the point she can form letters and words in the sand.
Plots
2006
2007
2008
2010
Meta
Player: Eva
E-mail:
AIM:
Player Icon Base: Taraneh Alidoosti
Meta Trivia
Formerly played by Erin until September 2008 and picked up by Jai who played her from October 2009 until she left the game in August 2010. In late November 2011 Eva brought Sooraya back into the game.
